46 Liberal Arts colleges in the Northeast with strong social mobility outcomes. Average earnings: $69,342.
We started with Liberal Arts programs scoring 60th percentile or above for mobility—schools that actually serve low-income students. Then we ranked by earnings. The result: 46 programs that prove accessibility and strong outcomes aren't mutually exclusive.
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology leads the rankings, producing Liberal Arts graduates earning $143,372 while maintaining a 73rd percentile mobility score. The earnings range spans from $66,039 to $143,372, demonstrating that schools serving low-income students can compete on outcomes, not just access.
These schools serve 25% Pell Grant recipients and 25% first-generation students on average—yet debt burdens remain manageable. MIT exemplifies this balance: 73rd percentile mobility with just a 2.5% payment burden, earning 'Excellent' affordability status. True mobility means both access AND financial sustainability.
Earnings: $143,372 | Mobility: 73rd percentile
26.1% Pell students with $76,571 earnings
2.5% payment burden | Excellent - payment under 8% of discretionary
10.8% family burden | Good - payment 8-12% of discretionary
| Rank | School | Graduate Earnings | Student Debt | Student GPS | Parent Debt | Parent GPS | Mobility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | $143,372 | $14,768 | Excellent | $42,501 | Good | 73th percentile mobility | |
| #2 | Bentley UniversityPrivate | $120,959 | $25,023 | Excellent | $43,757 | Manageable | 76th percentile mobility |
| #3 | Carnegie Mellon UniversityPrivate | $114,862 | $21,750 | Excellent | $37,130 | Challenging | 84th percentile mobility |
| #4 | Cornell UniversityPrivate | $104,043 | $14,000 | Good | $38,000 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #5 | Yale UniversityPrivate | $100,533 | $12,975 | Excellent | $29,769 | Manageable | 81th percentile mobility |
| #6 | Villanova UniversityPrivate | $100,423 | $25,874 | Good | $40,000 | High | 74th percentile mobility |
| #7 | Fordham UniversityPrivate | $85,569 | $24,300 | Manageable | $37,095 | High | 76th percentile mobility |
| #8 | Drexel UniversityPrivate | $84,648 | $25,325 | Excellent | $40,932 | Challenging | 89th percentile mobility |
| #9 | New York UniversityPrivate | $82,509 | $20,500 | Good | $64,795 | High | 94th percentile mobility |
| #10 | $76,571 | $26,778 | Challenging | $35,625 | High | 81th percentile mobility | |
| #11 | $75,971 | $11,512 | Excellent | $20,000 | Manageable | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #12 | $74,479 | $21,500 | Manageable | $25,294 | High | 99th percentile mobility | |
| #13 | $73,997 | $21,500 | Good | $35,324 | High | 95th percentile mobility | |
| #14 | Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | $73,897 | $17,000 | Excellent | $59,531 | High | 72th percentile mobility |
| #15 | $71,631 | $22,763 | Manageable | $26,243 | High | 93th percentile mobility | |
| #16 | Pace UniversityPrivate | $70,378 | $23,250 | Manageable | $46,275 | High | 73th percentile mobility |
| #17 | Seton Hall UniversityPrivate | $70,196 | $22,750 | Good | $40,003 | High | 75th percentile mobility |
| #18 | $68,804 | $25,000 | Challenging | $22,757 | High | 82th percentile mobility | |
| #19 | $66,125 | $24,250 | Challenging | $35,031 | High | 86th percentile mobility | |
| #20 | Cuny City CollegePublic | $66,039 | $11,990 | Excellent | $17,460 | Challenging | 96th percentile mobility |
| #21 | $64,874 | $23,704 | Challenging | $18,400 | High | 89th percentile mobility | |
| #22 | Temple UniversityPublic | $63,727 | $24,395 | High | $36,495 | High | 97th percentile mobility |
| #23 | $63,435 | $25,000 | Challenging | $38,368 | High | 92th percentile mobility | |
| #24 | $61,415 | $22,000 | Manageable | $24,693 | High | 98th percentile mobility | |
| #25 | $61,258 | $23,500 | Manageable | $25,362 | High | 84th percentile mobility |
Our social mobility rankings answer: "Which schools deliver the best outcomes for students from low-income backgrounds?"
This is not simply "which schools admit the most low-income students" — it's which schools both serve low-income students and deliver strong earnings outcomes.
Data based on 2024-2025 Dept of Education reporting standards. Learn about our methodology →
